[外絮] Tony Snell回到NBA的需要不僅僅是為了打籃球

https://reurl.cc/QeadLo

There’s a quiet algebra underneath the NBA’s trade deadline. Front offices
scout on-court talent and evaluate skill sets and conduct background
intelligence, yet many players sent to a new team, halfway through each
season, get included simply because their contracts’ values can be
substituted for X. Their salaries balance the equation so their life becomes
uprooted and a career can get left behind.

NBA交易截止日期底下有一種悄然的代數運算。球隊管理層會對球場上的天賦進行調察，評估技能組並進行背景調查，然而，許多球員在每個賽季中途轉會到新球隊，只是因為他們的合同價值可以替代X。他們的薪水平衡了這個等式，使他們的生活變得顛沛流離，職業生涯也可能被拋在腦後。

That’s how and why Tony Snell was traded to New Orleans in February 2022, a
necessary variable to help the Pelicans acquire C.J. McCollum from the Trail
Blazers. Snell held a role in Portland, playing 14.4 minutes and flanking
opposing wings with his 7-foot wingspan. He appeared in just 15 games for thePelicans, shooting along his career average of 39.6% from distance, only to
fade entirely from the playoff rotation. Head coach Willie Green never calledhis number, and no teams came calling that summer after Snell became an
unrestricted free agent.

這也是Tony Snell在2022年2月被交易至紐奧良鵜鶘的原因來讓CJ McCollum的交易案成行。Snell原本靠著他7尺的臂展去手對方側翼而在波特蘭有個位置，並能上場14.4分鐘。他在鵜鶘雖然他有著跟他生涯平均相去不遠的39.6%三分球命中率，他卻只能打15場比賽並被剔除在了季後賽名單之外。Willie Green從未叫他上場過，而沒有球隊在夏天接洽成為非受限自由球員的Snell。

And so one year after his world flipped, when Snell returned to a
professional court with a G League jersey now on his back, a strange
sensation came with each step of his sneakers. The buzzer blaring and the
pregame clock reaching zero always brought a euphoria he could only capture
on hardwood, whether Snell was leading the New Mexico Lobos or after the
Chicago Bulls made him a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. A decade
later, joining the Maine Celtics at the end of January 2023, Snell found a
string of nerves knotting his insides.

在他的世界被翻轉一年以後，Snell回到了職業賽場上但只能作為G League球員上場，每踏出一步都伴隨著一種奇怪的感覺。當蜂鳴器響起和比賽結束鐘響起的那一刻總是帶來一種只有在硬木地板上才能捕捉到的愉悅，無論是Snell帶領新墨西哥Lobos贏得勝利或是他在2013年第一輪被芝加哥公牛選中。在10年後，2023年1月加入緬因賽爾提克，Snell發現一串神經在他體內打結。

“Of course, I want to come back and play, but I have a bigger purpose now,”
Snell told Yahoo Sports. “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about my boys.”

"當然，我想回到NBA打球，但我現在有更大的目標"Snell告訴Yahoo體育"這不僅僅是為了我自己而已了。這是為了我的孩子們。"

Snell is now in his second straight season with Maine, Boston’s affiliate
club, still flashing the two-way strengths of his prime. He practices each
day and plays each game hoping all his hard work can generate an NBA call-up
— not just the 10-day contract so many of his peers would absolutely crave.
The 32-year-old 3-and-D specialist seeks to find his way onto an NBA team’s
active roster by Friday, signed for the rest of the season, in order to
compile a 10th year of service for the players association’s retiree
benefits program. That additional season would make Snell eligible for the
union’s premium medical plan — beyond his current single qualification —
which would also cover his whole family, including his two sons, Karter, 3,
and Kenzo, 2, who were both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Snell現在已經是連續第二個球季與緬因賽爾提克(波士頓賽爾提克的所屬球隊)合作了，他仍展現他巔峰時期的攻守優勢。他每天練習，每場比賽都希望自己的辛勤工作能夠讓他重返NBA，不僅僅是像他的許多同行一樣渴望簽下一份為期10天的合同。這位32歲的3D球員希望在星期五之前找到加盟NBA球隊活躍名單的方法，簽署到賽季結束，以便為球員協會的退休福利計劃累積第10個賽季的服務。這個額外的賽季將使Snell有資格獲得協會的高級醫療計劃，而這個計畫可以幫助他的整個家庭，包括他的兩個兒子Karter（3歲）和Kenzo（2歲），他們都被診斷患有自閉症譜系障礙。

“It’s something I truly need,” Snell said. “Not only for myself, but for
my wife and my kids.”

"這是我非常需要的東西"Snell表示"這不只是為了我自己，這也是為了我的老婆與孩子。"

During his 2020-21 campaign with Atlanta, the Snells’ nanny first mentioned
Karter was showing textbook signs of stalled development. By 18 months, the
family’s first born could only say one word, pointing at the household’s
NBA player and calling him “Dad” or “Dada.” Karter would need five toys
in his hands at all times, typically featuring a miniature basketball. “And
you take one, he’ll have a temper tantrum,” Snell said.

在Snell於2020-21球季效力於老鷹時，Snell的保母第一次提到Karter表現出停滯發展的典型症狀。在18個月時，這個家庭的第一個孩子還是只能說一個字。指著家裡的NBA球員，叫他"爸"或"爸爸"。Karter通常需要一次拿五個玩具，其中通常包括一個迷你籃球。"如果你拿走一個，他就會發脾氣，"Snell說。

Snell thought nothing of his child’s behavior. He recalls not talking
himself until he was 4 or 5 years old. He never felt he could relate to his
sister or his cousins or his uncles, and they all left him to shoot baskets
and play video games in solitude, repeating the same rhythms for hours on
end. He kept to himself even after all those repetitions honed a shooting
stroke worthy of the NBA. Snell even met his wife, Ashley, at a barbecue
hosted by his Chicago Bulls teammate, Jimmy Butler, because he was sitting byhimself. She has an explorer’s heart and mind — Snell lovingly calls her “
Dora” — and Ashley wandered across the backyard wondering why this
professional athlete wasn’t the life of the party. “She caught an interest,
” Snell said. “And that’s all she wrote.”

Snell當時沒對他孩子的行為想太多。他想起自己直到4歲5歲才開始說話。他從來沒有覺得自己能與姊姊表兄弟姊妹或是叔叔這些親戚相處，而他們也只是把他丟在一旁讓他自己投籃或是打電動，重複同樣的節奏好幾個小時直到結束。即使這些不斷重複的事情讓他打進了NBA，他依然得在他對有Jimmy Butler的燒烤大會中才能愈到自己現在的老婆Ashley，因為他獨自一人做在那邊。她有一顆探險者的心和頭腦--Snell深情地稱她為--"朵拉"--
Ashely在後院四處遊蕩，想知道為什麼這位職業運動員不適應派對。"她引起了我的興趣，"Snell說。這就是全部。"

When a second nanny suggested they get Karter examined, the couple took him
to a doctor who helped the family get him an autism evaluation. After months
of waiting, a common hurdle for pediatric patients, they were finally able toget Karter evaluated by a specialist. Snell watched as his child was put in aplayroom, grabbing certain blocks of certain colors. When the testing
revealed Karter’s diagnosis, all the levers in Snell’s mind shifted into
place. He would go on to get evaluated himself, but the results only
confirmed what he’d since come to suspect: After three decades and a
full-fledged NBA career, Snell learned he was on the spectrum as well.

當第二位保姆建議對Karter進行檢查時，這對夫婦帶他去了一位幫助家庭讓他進行自閉症評估的醫生。經過幾個月的等待，這對兒科患者來說是一個常見的障礙，他們終於得以讓Karter接受專科醫生的評估。Snell看著他的孩子被放在一個遊戲室裡，拿著某些特定顏色的積木。當測試顯示Karter的診斷結果時，Snell思緒中的所有槓桿都齊整了起來。他將接受自己的評估，但結果只是證實了他此後一直懷疑的事實：經過三十年和一個完整的NBA生涯，Snell發現自己同樣也有自閉症。

Naming his experience brought a newfound clarity. “I honestly felt relief,”
Snell said. “I always knew I was different from everybody else. Just
observing other kids, just observing everyone around me. How they were
interested in each other and they just clicked. I couldn’t find a way to
click or relate. Basketball was honestly the only reason I had friends.”

這個診斷讓他的經歷獲得了新的解釋。"老實說我覺得很欣慰"Snell表示。"我一直都知道我跟其他人不一樣。我觀察其他小孩，觀察所有在我週邊的人。他們是如何對彼此感興趣並且很有默契的。我找不到與人連上或相關聯的方法。籃球是我交朋友的唯一原因。"

Now Snell hopes he can use the game to foster countless connections. He wantshis annual basketball camp, through the Tony Snell Foundation, to “have kids
on the spectrum and kids not on the spectrum play together, interact, and seewe can compete at a high level, together, and figure things out.” The Snells
are aiming to further research and understand the tribulations behind
pediatric testing, as families can wait up to three years to learn of their
child’s diagnosis, delaying opportunities for critical therapies during
early neurodevelopmental periods. Karter, for example, after his first eight
months of speech therapy, expanded his range to include 20 words. He can
count as high as 20, now knows shapes and colors, and is able to communicate
his needs and wants.

現在Snell希望籃球可以促使他達成無數的聯繫。他想要透過自己的基金會辦年度籃球營並使那些"跟他有一樣光譜的小朋友與那些沒有這類困擾的小朋友一起打球、互動並他們可以在高水準下競爭、團結並一起找出解決辦法。"Snell夫婦希望可以進一步研究和了解兒科測試背後的磨難，因為家庭可能需要等待長達三年才能了解孩子的診斷，這會延誤在早期神經發育期間進行關鍵治療的機會。例如，Karter在接受了八個月的言語治療後，擴大了他的字彙範圍，包括20個詞語。他現在能夠數到20，知道形狀和顏色，並能夠表達自己的需求和想法。

With Maine, Snell has found himself more vocal than ever before, a veteran
mentor 10 years older than the average age of his teammates. His playing timehas waned with the Celtics’ recent two-way signing, Drew Peterson, playing
the same position. And Jordan Walsh, Boston’s second-round pick last June,
has been on assignment this season. Snell has stayed the course, offering
lessons from his previous playoff battles, many coming against their very
Celtics. He’s taken a particular liking to two-way guard J.D. Davidson, a
soft-spoken ball-handler Snell has seen quietly come out of his shell.

在緬因，Snell發現自己比以往任何時候都更加能溝通，他現在是一位比他的隊友平均年齡大10歲的老將指導者。隨著緬因塞爾蒂克斯最近雙向簽約的Drew Peterson在打相同的位置，他的上場時間有所減少。波士頓去年六月的第二輪選秀狀元Jordan Walsh本賽季一直在緬因打球。Snell堅持不懈，提供了他以前季後賽奮鬥的教訓，其中很多都是對陣他們的波士頓塞爾提克。他特別喜歡雙向後衛J.D. Davison，這位沉默寡言的控球手Snell已經看到他悄悄地突破了自己的障礙。

“I want to share my knowledge with the young guys. I have enjoyment from
helping them out and showing them what I see,” Snell said. “I’m at the
stage where I want to inspire people and help as many people as I possibly
can.”

"我想與這些年輕的傢伙分享我的知識。我很享受幫助他們並像他們展現他所看到的東西"Snell說。"我已經到了想要激勵人們並盡可能地幫助人們的階段。"

Not just players. “People in general,” Snell said. “If they’re willing to
learn, I’m willing to share.”

不僅僅是球員。"任何人，"Snell說。"如果他們願意學習，我願意分享。"

今天老巴也在節目上談到了這篇文章

https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1753215918883356915

Charles Barkley calls on NBA teams to sign Tony Snell after a viral article
from @YahooSports this week detailed the veteran forward's need for medical
coverage for his two children with Autism.

Charles Barkley在這篇Yahoo的文章廣為流傳後呼籲NBA球隊簽下Tony Snell來讓他與他的兩個小孩獲得他們自閉症需要的醫療保險與服務

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沒 主要是球員的醫療保險 也就是之前有一堆球員詐保的那個